Dresden 2026 – wissenschaftliches Programm
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BP: Fachverband Biologische Physik
BP 40: Cell Mechanics II / Cytoskeleton II
BP 40.2: Vortrag
Freitag, 13. März 2026, 10:15–10:30, BAR/0205
Improving T cell migration and invasion with the Microtubule destabilizing agent Pretubulysin. — •Lukas Schuster1, Galia Montalvo1, Reza Shaebani1, Anna Burgstaller2, Shweta Nandakumar1, Rhoda Hawkins3, Laura Schaedel1, Bin Qu4, and Franziska Lautenschläger1 — 1Saarland University, Saarbrücken, Germany — 2Leibniz Institute for New Materials, Saarbrücken, Germany — 3School of Mathematical and Physical Sciences, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, United Kingdom — 4Center for Integrative Physiology and Molecular Medicine (CIPMM), Saarland University, Homburg, Germany & Department of Biomedical Sciences, Osnabrück University, Osnabrück, Germany
The immune response depends on the ability of cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTLs) to migrate and invade into dense 3D environments, such as tumors, and to kill cancer cells. Thus, optimizing the migratory behavior of CTLs is crucial to boost immune response in the treatment against cancer. Here, we focused on the role of destabilized microtubules (MTs) in cell migration. We showed that the disruption of MTs in CTLs with the compound Pretubulysin enhances the infiltration of 3D collagen gels and the killing of target cells. In addition, we confirmed the motile phenotype in 2D and 1D migration assays. We further studied the mechanism of how MT disruption induces cell motility in a theoretical active droplet model. We found enriched actomyosin in the back of CTLs to be linked to a fast and persistent migrating cell.
Keywords: Cytoskeleton; Microtubules; Cell migration; Immune cells